Daughter of US Ambassador to Israel Makes Aliyah

Talia Friedman, daughter of US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, was among the 233 new North American immigrants to arrive in Israel on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old, a practicing nurse, was greeted by her diplomat father at Ben-Gurion International Airport soon after the El Al Airlines Boeing 777 chartered by the Nefesh B’Nefesh aliyah agency touched down on the runway.

“We’re so proud of our daughter Talia. She always wanted to live in Israel, and she’s realizing her dream. Our whole family is very proud of her,” David Friedman told reporters at the airport.

The ambassador also praised Nefesh B’Nefesh for coordinating the large flight of North American immigrants.

“What’s amazing is that you have so many Americans coming to Israel and they’re going to remain American and they’re going to become Israeli…they add a lot to both countries. It’s very encouraging to see the connection strengthened between Israel and America,” he said.

Among the 233 new immigrants, 70 will join the IDF after receiving their Israeli citizenship. Other newcomers aboard the flight included immigrants from 19 US states and two Canadian provinces, 64 children, six sets of twins, and 26 medical professionals.